There are few albums good enough to listen to the whole way through without skipping a song; most have at least one or two songs to avoid. Such is not the case with Australia?s Crashpalace and its self-titled debut album.

The Melbourne rock quintet offers up a solid first album. The band?s usual grinding sound is a perfect match for Maloney?s rock-star rasp, though the group is also capable of more melodic music, and Maloney of a softer vocal style.

The songs range from the heavy opening tracks, “Whatever Gets You Through” and “Perfect,” to the slower, more melodic “Two Kinds” and the gentle, quiet “Crop Circles.” “Come On” opens with a Smashing Pumpkins-style guitar squall before heading into a wailing chorus, while the following song, “Control,” brings to mind cuts from Weezer?s last album.”Crashpalace” is an impressive debut from a talented band, and every song is worth listening to ? there are no duds on this record, which is more than can be said for most bands.

Four stars out of four

In November, The State Hornet interviewed Marcus Maloney of Crashpalace:

State Hornet: I understand the band formed while you were in high school. How did you get together?

Marcus Maloney: I knew John (bass) since we were kids, and he introduced me to Jeremy (guitar) after I?d left school and they were still there. At the time I was in a local punk act that was falling apart. I threw out the bass player because he couldn?t play and was hitting on my ex-girlfriend constantly, and asked John to join. Peter (drums) also went to our school but was one of the good kids, so we never really hung out. But he went to music college after high school and we didn?t, so maybe being teacher?s pet has its positives. Peter met Dean (keyboard) there, so they kind of balanced out our technical ignorance.

Hornet: How long have you been playing together? How do the band members get along?

Maloney: Dean was the last to join, and that was in ?97, so I suppose we?ve been playing together about four years now. Time flies when you?re young and broke. We get along like any family does, meaning that at times we don?t get along. The trick is being able to accept that you?re not gonna always get along and it?s not the end of the world.

Hornet: Where in Australia are you from?

Maloney: Melbourne, Australia. And no, we don?t wrestle crocodiles. Hornet: What are your main musical influences? How would you describe your sound?

Maloney: We all have very different musical tastes. This can make life easier and more difficult. At the end of the day, though, we?re all influenced by classic songwriting. I?d describe our sound as “too good to be fashionable.”

Hornet: From where do you draw inspiration for your lyrics?

Maloney: I draw all my inspiration, lyrically, from my own life, and sometimes the lives of the people closest to me. A lot of people have said that I?m pretty hard on myself on this record and I sound like a miserable guy. I?m happier now than when I was writing the album, so I?m a lot more fun to hang out with than it seems.

Hornet: How did you guys pick your band name? Just random words, or is there some significance to it?

Maloney: It?s the name of an old New Zealand road movie. Kind of like “Easy Rider” or “Vanishing Point.” Never actually seen it. I was in a hospital in 2000 with a broken neck from a drunken car accident (I wasn?t driving) and because I was there for awhile I had a lot of flowers, stuffed animals and all that stuff people get from the gift shop downstairs. Our manager visited me and remarked that it looked like a “crash palace.” We squashed the two words together and the rest is recent history.

Hornet: Do you have an American tour planned? Have you ever toured before? How long is your current tour?

Maloney: We did about three months touring the clubs in support of our first single, “Perfect,” playing for radio stations that had picked it up. We?ve been to so many different places it gets so confusing, like that commercial with the dumb rock guy who says, “Hello Cleveland!” and he?s in Delaware or somewhere. That was me, totally. I could have died. It?s not my fault your country is so big, though. We should be back pretty soon, provided our guitarist doesn?t get arrested again for putting Crashpalace stickers all over police stations. It?s impossible trying to reason with him.

Hornet: What do you enjoy most about being in a band? The least?

Maloney: Having people enjoy your music is what does it for me. Our bass player has this old saying that being in Crashpalace is better than sitting on the couch, which is quite a big statement for him. The least enjoyable aspect for me is having to deal with people who have the misconception that all musicians are running around high on coke and having sex with strangers. Did I mention I will have sex with anyone for free coke? Thanks and cheers!